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There is a growing body of evidence that many of the thousands of prescription and over-the-counter medications ultimately make their way into water bodies and drinking-water supplies. Typical wastewater treatment plants may not be effective at…

Wildfires, also termed bushfires or forest fires, are currently devastating large swaths of land in Australia. Detrimental ecologic consequences of these uncontrolled combustions of forest fuels and vegetation are numerous. One of the most serious…

The American beech (Fagus grandifolia) is native to forest regions east of the Mississippi River and is a key tree species in the United States. In particular, it is very abundant from Ohio to the New England states. The tree is also found in the…

Life on Earth has been punctuated by a number of catastrophic mass extinctions throughout history. During these events, diverse taxonomic groups collapsed from the relatively rapid and widespread extinction of large numbers of species. Precipitated…

Conservationists are alarmed by significant reductions in insect populations worldwide. Based on recent biodiversity surveys and entomological studies, scientists estimate that more than 40% of the world's insect species (class Insecta, phylum…

Scientists have identified the earliest known fossil of a modern bird. The fossil remains—comprising an almost-complete skull and a few limb bones embedded in rock—were discovered in a limestone quarry in Belgium. Estimated to be approximately 66.7…

Members of the order Pristiophoriformes within the vertebrate subphylum comprise an unusual group of sharks. Collectively known as sawsharks, these marine fishes are distinguishable from other elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) by a number of…

Many trees in forests worldwide rely on natural fires to create growing conditions necessary to perpetuate the ecosystem, or to stimulate germination. However, for more than 100 years, humans have been suppressing frequent natural low-intensity…

The Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) is a remarkable evergreen, treelike plant found only in the southwestern United States. It was named by Mormon settlers in the early 1800s. Upon seeing the limbs of this plant branching upwards to heaven, the…

Collectively, members of the class Amphibia are facing massive reductions in total numbers, and the overall biodiversity of amphibians across the globe is under threat. Scientists have determined that global climate change and habitat destruction…